Shloka 45

Rudra-Śiva: Names, Two Natures, and the Logic of Epithets (रुद्रनाम-बहुरूपत्व-प्रकरणम्)

Devanagari script

एष द्विजजने धर्मो गा्हस्थ्यो लोकधारण: । द्विजानां च सतां नित्यं सदैवैष प्रवर्तते

Transliteration

eṣa dvijajane dharmo gārhasthyo lokadhāraṇaḥ | dvijānāṁ ca satāṁ nityaṁ sadaivaiṣa pravartate ||

Translation

Ito ang dharma para sa mga “dalawang ulit na isinilang” (dvija) sa yugto ng maybahay—isang pamumuhay na nagtataguyod at nagpapanatili sa daigdig. Sa hanay ng mga mararangal na Brahmin, ito’y isinasagawa nang walang patid; tunay ngang para sa kanila, ito’y laging umiiral bilang matatag na tuntunin ng asal.

Word by Word

• [{'term': 'eṣa', 'definition': 'this (presently stated rule/practice)'}, {'term': 'dvija', 'definition': '‘twice-born’

• traditionally Brahmins, Kshatriyas, and Vaishyas after initiation'}, {'term': 'dvijajana', 'definition': 'the community/class of the twice-born'}, {'term': 'dharmaḥ', 'definition': 'duty

• sustaining law'}, {'term': 'gārhasthyaḥ', 'definition': 'pertaining to the householder stage (gṛhastha-āśrama)'}, {'term': 'lokadhāraṇaḥ', 'definition': 'world-sustaining

• that which supports social order and life'}, {'term': 'satām', 'definition': 'of the good/virtuous people'}, {'term': 'nityam', 'definition': 'always

• as a constant practice'}, {'term': 'sadaiva', 'definition': 'at all times

• ever'}, {'term': 'pravartate', 'definition': 'is carried on

Speaker

श्रीमहेश्वर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Śrī Maheśvara (speaker)
• dvija (twice-born)
• gārhasthya-dharma (householder dharma)
• loka (the world)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse affirms that the householder’s dharma for the twice-born is not merely personal piety but a world-sustaining discipline; among the virtuous it is maintained continuously as a stable norm.

What is happening in the narrative?

Maheśvara is instructing about proper conduct, emphasizing the gārhasthya mode of life as a foundational support of society, and noting that good Brahmins keep this discipline as an ongoing practice.